History
Greetings All Visitors, My name is Shona A. Anthony. I am currently a junior here at Lehigh University and the 2003- 2004 Vice Chairperson for the National Society of Black Engineers. It is a pleasure to welcome you to our website and I hope that you�ve enjoyed the tour thus far. The National Society of Black Engineers� purpose if to help you help yourself. Therefore, I hope that you take great advantage of what NSBE has to offer you to create a wonderful Lehigh academic career and future. Becoming part of the NSBE community is easy: (i)Attend Lehigh University�s annual Club Fair and/or attend NSBE�s one of NSBE�s membership drives. These drives are held twice a year. One during the Fall semester and the second during the Spring semester. (ii)Attend a general meeting to determine that NSBE is an organization in which you are interested. We do not force anyone to join NSBE but I can guarantee that NSBE has a myriad of benefits to offer you. Joining NSBE would only be a stepping stone within your path to success. (iii)Pay a one-time due of $20.00 upon deciding whether NSBE is for you. The $20.00 is split into two fees. The first being National dues payment of $10.00 and the second being Chapter dues of $10.00. This is all the money required to becoming a member. (iv)To be an active member, according to chapter standards, you would have to frequently attend general meetings for approximately one hour biweekly as well as attend events held by NSBE throughout the academic year. We do not expect members to attend 100% of the activities or general meetings due to the fact that we are all college students with many responsibilities. But we do expect for our members to put forth their best effort and dedication into this organization. All services are provided for you and we only ask that you take advantage of them. Our members are hardworking, dedicated, and exemplary students. We ask that you not only bring yourselves in the physical sense but also ideas and characteristics you have to offer in order to make NSBE a better organization. We strive to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers [and non- engineers] who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.� Are you up for the challenge? Shona A. Anthony Lehigh University National Society of Black Engineers 2003- 2004 Vice Chairperson
The History of the National Society of Black Engineers In 1971, two Purdue undergraduate students, Edward Barnette (now deceased) and Fred Cooper approached the dean of engineering at Purdue University with the concept of starting the Black Society of Engineers (BSE). They wanted to establish a student organization to help improve the recruitment and retention of black engineering students. In the late 1960�s, a devastating 80 percent of the black freshmen entering the engineering program dropped out. The dean agreed to the idea and assigned the only black faculty member on staff, Arthur J. Bond, as advisor. Barnett served as the first president of the BSE. The fledging group gained momentum in 1974, with the direction and encouragement of Bond and the active participation of the young men whose destiny was to become the founders of NSBE. Now known as the "Chicago Six", these men are Anthony Harris, Brian Harris, Stanley L. Kirtley, John W. Logan, Jr., Edward A. Coleman, and George A. Smith. Encouraged by their on-campus success, Anthony Harris, president of the Purdue chapter, wrote a letter to the presidents and deans of every accredited engineering program in the country (288), explained the Society of Black Engineers (SBE) concept and asked them to identify black student leaders, organizations and faculty members who might support their efforts on a national basis. Approximately 80 schools responded. Many had similar Black student organizations with similar objectives. A date was set for the first national meeting and 48 students representing 32 schools attended the event, held April 10-12, 1975. Harris also changed the organizations� nomenclature from the BSE to the Society of Black Engineers (SBE). It was at that historic meeting through majority vote, that SBE became the National Society of Black Engineers. The familiar NSBE symbol "N" with lightning bolts was chosen and it remains a distinctively recognizable symbol representing the premier technical organization for African American engineering students and professionals. NSBE was eventually incorporated in Texas, in 1976 as 501�3 non-profit organization. John Cason, also of Purdue, served as the first elected president of NSBE. As the organization grew, Virginia Booth became the first female National Chairperson and the first to serve two terms 1978-1980. The torch symbolizes members� everlasting, burning desire to achieve success in a competitive society and positively affect the quality of life for all people. The lightening bolt represents the striking impact that will be felt by the society and industry due to the contributions and accomplishments made by the dedicated members of the National Society of Black Engineers. NSBE has since grown from six to 10,000 members and the annual meeting has blossomed into the Annual National Convention, hosting over 8,000 attendees. NSBE has 17 NSBE Jr. pre-college, 268 student and 50 alumni/technical professional chapters. Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., NSBE offers academic excellence programs, scholarships, leadership training, professional development and access to career opportunities for thousands of members annually. With over 2000 elected leadership positions, 12 regional conferences and an annual convention, NSBE provides opportunities for success that remain unmatched by any other organization.
Founders
The Founders Anthony Harris Born in Chicago, Harris graduated from Purdue University with honors (Dean�s List, Pi Tau Sigma) with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He went on to attend Harvard Graduate School of Business, where he received a MBA. With a solid academic foundation, he began his career working for Standard Oil Company as a project engineer in 1975. He moved on to Ford and held various positions including a quality supervisor and production supervisor in 1979. He later started his own entrepreneurial venture, Sonoma Ford Lincoln/Mercury, where he served as CEO. In 1992 he became a marketing manager for Pacific Gas & Electric, Russian River Division. Rising through the ranks quickly he became the vice-president, marketing and Sales in 1995, and vice president business customer service by 1996. Currently, he is the Vice President of National Account Services at PG&E Energy Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of PG&E Corporation. NSBE is still close to Harris, and he sits on the NSBE National Advisory Board, counseling the current NSBE National Executive Board with governance issues. He is active in the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC). Harris also sits on the Board of Directors of the Oakland Museum of California, the Santa Clara Valley Manufacturer�s Group. Harris is currently married and resides in California with his wife Angela and sons Anthony and Alexander. Brian Harris Harris began his professional career in 1975 with Amoco Chemicals Corporation as a project engineer for the engineering group. Following project assignments in Houston Texas, he was reassigned to the corporate headquarters in Chicago, joining the sales department as the Midwest regional sales representative. After five years with Amoco, Harris established his own firm specializing in general construction. He is currently a general partner in Progressive Development & Associates, a construction management firm and owner of a commercial and residential painting company. Harris, a native of Chicago is married and resides in Evanston, Illinois. The great sense of pride Harris feels being one of the catalysts of NSBE is surpassed only by the tremendous growth NSBE has realized. Harris earned a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Engineering from Purdue University, Edward A. Coleman Coleman is currently Manager of Wireless Data Strategy and Product Management for Lucent Technologies. After graduating from Purdue, he joined Standard Oil of Indiana as a refinery engineer. Later he joined AT&T in 1979. Assignments with the company have included stints with NCR and now, Lucent Technologies. His responsibilities have included sales support, project management, product management, and software development for various network communications and computer products. Coleman is also the President of the Board of Directors of the Hope Fair Housing Center, and is active in other civic organizations. He was a founder of the AT&T Horizons program for counseling high school students. Coleman is married, father of one and enjoys working out, golf and photography. Born and raised in Chicago, Coleman received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a MBA from DePaul University. Stanley L. Kirtley Kirtley is currently vice President Client Community relations for ASC Services Company L.L.C. in Chicago. His current responsibilities include business development corporate communications, marketing and public relations. ASC is a $160M architectural/engineering design and construction management firm. ASC manages Ameritech�s construction program. Previously, Kirtley held various assignments in real estate, design and construction, and purchasing at Ameritech over 14 years. He also worked at Ford and Procter and Gamble. He is a member of the International Facilities Management Association and is on the Board of Directors for the American Kidney Fund in Washington, D.C. He is also active as a board member of the Calvary Baptist Church of Glenwood, is an advisory board member for the School of Civil Engineering at Purdue, in addition to serving as a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the Purdue Chapter of NSBE. Kirtley is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Kirtley earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Purdue and a MBA with Distinction in Marketing from Keller Graduate School of Management. George A. Smith Upon graduating from Purdue, Smith joined General Electric as a Process Control Engineer. In 1978 he moved to Hewlett Packard and launched a successful career as a Field Sales Engineer. By 1985 he had won many awards and was promoted to District Sales Manager. Smith earned the HP President�s Club Award, the highest recognition offered at HP. The award was presented to Smith personally by HP founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. In 1992, Smith fulfilled a lifelong dream and started his own business, the Sales Process Consulting Company. His firm studies the best business practices from Fortune 500 company sales forces, analyzes opportunities to apply information technology and conducts process analysis training workshops. Smith is most proud of the two groundbreaking business improvement books he authored, Sales Productivity Measurement and The Sales Quality Audit. Both are published by the American Society of Quality. Smith received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Purdue. John W. Logan, Jr. (Deceased) John Logan graduated from Purdue with a B.S. Civil Engineering in 1975. Logan was Vice President at the 1st National Convention. He was killed in an industrial accident at Amoco Oil Refinery in Houston, TX in 1986. Until his untimely death, Logan continued his affiliation with NSBE by participating in National Conferences and working diligently to assist Amoco�s minority engineering recruitment efforts. Purdue University�s Minority Engineering Program and The Amoco Foundation established the John Logan Memorial Scholarship fund in his honor. His wife Marilyn, son John Wesley Logan, III, mother Martha and his sister Etelka, survives him. Dr. Arthur Bond, Ph.D. Dr. Bond, joined Alabama A&M as Dean of Engineering and Technology in August 1992 after having served as Professor and head of the Electrical Engineering Department at Tuskegee University since 1989. While at Tuskegee, he was a member of SYTHESIS Coalition of eight engineering schools sharing a $15.3 million National Science Foundation grant to upgrade engineering programs and increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering. Dr. Bond is a tireless advocate for quality engineering education for minorities. As a result of his efforts, AAMU is the only university in the country to have a directed verdict that ordered new engineering programs. The verdict came out of a long running desegregation lawsuit against the State of Alabama. In May 1999, AAMU will graduate its first class from the new Electrical and Mechanical Engineering programs. Prior to Tuskegee, Dr. Bond worked in commercial industry for AlliedSignal, Hughes, TRW and Union Carbide in capacities ranging from electronics research technician through research and development engineer/scientist. Dr. Bond received his B.S. MS and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. He is the recipient of the ASEE Vincent Bendix Award, the NACME Reginald H. Jones Award and the Huntsville Association of Technical Societies as AAMU�s Professor of the Year. He is married to Carolyn Duvall and they recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.
NSBE:Acronyms
AE - Alumni Extension AEB - Alumni Extension Board AEC - Academic Excellence Committee AEO - Alumni Executive Officers APC - Administrative and Personnel Committee BCA - Board of Corporate Affiliates BD - Business Diversity CCI - Community College Initiative CDP - Chapter Development Program CEB - Chapter Executive Board CPC - Conference Planning Committee FRC - Fall Regional Conference GTA - Golden Torch Awards IC - International Committee LRP - Long Range Plan NAB - National Advisory Board NEB - National Executive Board NEO - National Executive Officers NEW - National Engineers Week NLI - National Leadership Institute PCI - Pre-College Initiative RAB - Regional Advisory Board REB - Regional Executive Board REO - Regional Executive Officers RLC - Regional Leadership Conference SRC - Spring Regional Conference USTR � Undergraduate Students in Technical Research
